September 7, 2003

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Gideon Club - Conservatory...

Stone nods, "Hello there." he says to Despil before giving a wave towards Yosannah, "Yo." he greets her.

Yosannah strolls into the Conservatory as if she fully expected the room to be full. "Have you guys seen Nash lately?"

Despil smiles. "Hello, Ben." He turns around. "Hello, Yo."

Riva smiles at Yosannah. "Hello, Yosannah."

Yosannah gives Despil a quick smile but then regards each of them in turn, "He looks like shit. Nash that is."

Riva says "I have, why?"

Despil says "Is that unusual?"

Riva's expression becomes pinched. She issues a sigh.

Stone shakes his head, "What's wrong with him?" He adds to Despil, "He does usually look a bit messed up."

Yosannah shrugs her shoulders, "Yeah. That coupled with the fact that the sunuvah bitch actually smiled at me." To Stone she adds, "Something's definitely wrong with him."

Riva arches an eyebrow. "Maybe he actually is having a good day?"

Yosannah looks between Stone and Riva, "Oh. Were you guys having a private conversation?" She gestures to each of them, "Eh. Sorry." And then, "Yeah. He looked like... Hank." She asks Riva, "You know Hank, right?"

Despil shakes his head. "Who is Hank?"

Yosannah turns to Despil and gestures with her hands, "Hank," as if this should explain everything.

Despil says, "Oh, -Hank-!"

Yosannah nods matter of factly.

Riva says "Uh, no...and he DOES have Famine. Maybe it's effected him."

Stone tells Yosannah, "Not extremely private. It's about my magic watch." He then tells Despil, "Nash having a good day is like something being wrong with him."

Despil asks, "Riva, who is Hank?"

Riva looks at Despil, "Anyone fill me in on who Hank is?"

Despil laughs and looks to Stone.

Riva says "Are you all trying to send me *back* to Shad Gen's psych ward?"

Despil shakes his head. "Not trying, no."

Yosannah looks to Stone and gestures for him to explain.

Stone looks at all of you, "Hank was Famine. Horseman. Dalt's boy, retired."

Yosannah nods, "Exactly."

Riva oh's. "Well, that explains it."

Despil says "And now Nash is."

Yosannah crosses her arms over her chest and offers, "Well, as strange as this might sound coming from yours truly, I am actually worried about him." She then looks at each of them sternly, "But if that gets out of this room you are all gonna pay for it."

Despil asks, "How much? Retail or wholesale?"

Stone pauses before asking, "Nash has Famine? Like in a jar? On a shelf? "

Riva grins. "I'll keep your secret safe. And I'm to talk to him soon about some things, I'll see if I can feel him out...if it'd offer you any peace of mind, that is."

Despil grins. "I wanna know how much I have to pay."

Yosannah smiles at Despil and rolls her eyes before returning to the conversatio n. A nod to Riva and to Stone, "Yes. Happened a couple of weeks back when we got Pestilence back for me. Nash happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time I think."

Stone says "That's pretty wrong, yeah."

Yosannah exhales and nods, "That's not the half of it."

Riva's eyebrows lift as she waits for Yosannah to elaborate.

Yosannah adds, "War." She nods at Stone, "Ryker."

Riva says "Ryker seemed alright when I spoke with him. There was...I dunno, a vibe. A glimmer in the eye...but either could be my imagination."

Yosannah casts a sidelong glance at Despil as she asks Riva, "He did? I haven't seen him since that night. That's good to hear."

Despil says "I haven't seen him, either."

Stone hmms, "The others?" he inquires.

Riva says "The only other is Death...and I don't think anyone's seen hide nor hair. I've been asked to find and approach Death regarding a matter."

Despil says "Arion."

Yosannah nods, "I think Ada's brother is holding Death. But I don't know for sure what happened in the end there. I couldn't swear to that." She inclines her head to Despil, "He crushed the stones Arion used to lure them all out. I guess I just assumed they'd all go back to their old avatars. Didn't work out that way."

Yosannah regards Riva, "Asked to to approach Death? By whom?"

Riva says "Nash."

Despil says "I crushed three of them."

Yosannah nods at Riva, "I see." To Despil she nods and then asks, "I don't suppose there is any talk Courtside that we should be concerned with, right? Tensions seemed to have died down."

Despil says "Other than people disappointed that you're not dead, no. No one is clamoring for finishing the job."

Yosannah lowers her gaze to the ground, arms still crossed over her chest, a light chuckle escapes her lips, "Nice."

Despil grins. "I always think it's a good day when no one wants me killed."

Yosannah nods in agreement, "I'm both flattered and relieved." A smile, "So," looks to Riva and Stone, "your watch. You still stuck with it?"

Riva says "That's why Despil's here, actually. I asked him for his expert opinion since Ithius couldn't find anything of use."

Yosannah lifts her chin in Despil's direction, "You've seen this damn watch then?"

Stone pulls the watch from his pocket, "Now he has."

Despil looks over. "No, I haven't before." He peers at the watch.

Riva briefs Despil on the watch. "It's apparently endowed with local magic, but details are elusive. It repairs itself when broken, and if lost or given reappears with Stone. It was found in the mouth of a corpse...but wasn't there when the corpse was initially found. It's got some writing on it, but I can't read it."

Despil says "All right."

Yosannah raises a brow, "You're leaving out a very important point though."

Riva says "Oh...it's cursed. Bad luck, visions, nightmares, and such...right Stone?"

Yosannah nods at this, "Exactly. I damn near got crushed by a tree falling outside my Inn a few months back during a storm." She thumbs in Stone's direction, "A storm that he dreamed about."

Despil says "People with you?"

Yosannah looks to Stone, People? How many other dreams did you have, Stoner?"

Stone shrugs, "Half dozen or so?"

Despil says "And they were of bad things happening to other people?"

Yosannah nods to Despil, "Yes." She then looks at Stone, "You haven't had anymore since the storm one. Of me that is. Have you?" She seems concerned all of a sudden.

Riva frowns and listens, arms crossing silently.

Stone ums at Yosannah before saying, "See, the problem is, if I tell you, it might be more likely to happen. You know, like if I tell you you're going to kill your father and marry your mother. That sort of thing."

Despil says "Uh oh. You're in trouble now, Yo."

Riva frowns and notes. "Avoiding an accident is as easy as taking a vacation outside the shadow. What's the harm in taking a few weeks off, Yosannah?"

Yosannah looks to each of them in turn, "Right." She exhales and considers, "Okay. Well. How many of these dreams have actually come to pass?"

Stone says "All but one. I dreamed something bad would happen to Nash in the library and have since forbidden him from stepping foot in it. Seems to have worked."

Despil nods, "But so would keeping Colonel Mustard out of it, or getting rid of all the candlesticks."

Yosannah can't help but laugh at that.

Riva glances at Despil and grins.

Stone tells Despil, "I like the Amberite version better. 'It was Corwin in the Throne room with a Pattern blade'."

Despil laughs. "We can only hope."

Riva says "Lila was given a charm, or riddle or something, and the people I spoke with made references to the Fool, which I suppose is stone. I'm clueless, and if your peeking doesn't reveal anything...it's up to investigative skills...and if we're talking mine...stone'll have that watch the rest of his life." Riva looks wry.

Yosannah shakes her head, still smiling, "Screw Stone, he's not the one who's being effected here. It's the residents of this shadow."

Stone says "Hey, not neccesarily. These bad things could have happened anyway."

Riva frowns and pops her neck, expression becoming pensively thoughtful.

Yosannah slumps her shoulders and looks upward, shaking her head - obviously dubious about Stone's statement, "You know, the thing came from a corpse. Maybe you just need to die and our problems will be solved."

Stone hmms, "Problem is if you're wrong that kind of limits my other choices."

Yosannah shrugs, "Not necessarily, I saw Despil and Nash bring a bunny back from the beyond, maybe they could do the same for you."

Despil says "Not quite. It didn't actually die."

Riva says "I think that was before it was actually dead." she shudders and mumbles at Yosannah. "And I'd almost forgotten about that whole nightmare."

Yosannah nods with an exhale of breath. "Okay, what if we take the thing and throw it in the pit? Unless the Serpent himselfs brings the thing back, we should be free if it, yes?"

Stone says "But wouldn't it be cool if it did?"

Yosannah blinks at Stone and considers this for a long moment, "Now that you mention it..."

Despil says "The rabbit, or the watch?"

Yosannah's lips purse into a smile. "The watch of course."

Riva flushes and looks at Yosannah, "Well hell. Why didn't I think of that." she grins and jerks a thumb at Despil, "He's been looking for a reason to chuck something into the abyss."

Despil smiles. "Some -one-."

Yosannah chuckles, "But Arashi isn't here. The watch is all you've got."

Riva hrrms. "A pity his toy broke. I could use it to help me find Death." she makes a face and mutters. "Arashi's presence was largely my fault. I owe you both a free hit for for that one."

Stone looks back and forth, "Toy?" he asks.

Yosannah nods at Stone, "It was a kind of tracking device." She considers, "Like in the movies Alien and Aliens. Remember those? The closer they got to the baddies the faster the thing beeped."

Stone ahs and nods.

Despil says "Arashi is deserving of it, but we made a deal. I'm responsible for his toy breaking, but then, I made it."

Riva says "Could you make another?"

Despil nods to Riva. "Piece of cake."

Riva grins ear to ear at Despil. "DAMN I glad I met you, my lord."

Despil smiles. "You're welcome."

Yosannah casts a look in Despil's direction, "Wait wait wait... and what if I'mhome and in the shower or something," She thumbs a finger in Riva's direction, "She'll know exactly where I am."

Riva hrrms and looks to Despil, "So maybe make the peek at the watch and unless you see a reason not to...shuck it into the abyss?" she looks to Yosannah. "I know to be stealthy and I'll even bring a camcorder."

Stone asks Yosannah, "You really think the watch is causing all this? So what happens if it gets destroyed before you di...et. Diet. I meant diet. Does that still happen?"

Yosannah blinks at Stone once or twice. And then a few more times, "You've got to be kidding me. You dreamt my death?!"

Despil says "I'll look at it with Logrus, if you like."

Stone shrugs, "Kind of." he answers as he hands the watch to Despil.

Yosannah stares at Stone. It's the kind of look a sibling might cast at her brother.

Riva makes a face. "Damn. Too easy. So, I guess our best shot at stopping stuffis ah...breaking the curse or whatever?" she guesses she looks at Despil, "Well, I was kinda hoping you would, my lord. I already had a mage look at it and he came up without anything."

Despil asks, "Is it safe to hold it? I can look at it while you're holding it."

Stone tells Yosannah, "Just stay away from gypsies. Oh, and the Red Light District." He says to Despil, "It's safe. But I'll hold it anyway."

Despil says "Yes, but would -I- be safe?"

Yosannah offers as she glares at Stone, "I say when we're done looking at it...or Despil is done looking at it, we toss it and Stone into the abyss."

Stone nods to Despil, "Safe as houses." He then adds, "Most likely."

Despil says "And however safe houses are."

Riva flashes a grin at Yosannah, "I'd second that suggestion, but with my luck Stone would get snagged by something, crawl up, and kick my ass. Or maybe just tell everyone I'm a vegetarion. Everyone'd think I'm a hippy and the comany'd bust."

Yosannah raises a hand to her mouth in an effort to stiffle a chuckle. She shakes her head and then turns her attention to Despil as he examines the item.

Despil says "Interesting." He looks at the watch and says, "It's a copy of something else, it's been conjured with some strange local magic in it."

Stone looks at the watch as well, "Conjured by who, any clue?"

Riva says "You think you could find the original?"

Yosannah bites at her lip, "So if we destroy this one. It may not do anything."

Riva says "I was told if I found the other item made by whoever made this, and destroyed it, It'd solve things."

Despil says "Who knows? Maybe the curse is a flaw."

Stone tells Despil, "We like puzzles."

Despil says "I know people who could find the original better than I could."

Riva says "Uh...stop Stone from having nightmares that come true?" she sticks her tongue ou t at Stone. "Speak for yourself, you nut."

Despil says "They only come true if he tells someone about them."

Stone tells Despil, "That's not true. I didn't tell Ada her place would get electrified and it did."

Riva's gaze slides back to Despil. "Well, that's something...and who would you reccomend I ask to help me find the original?"

Despil says, "Sarah could."

Riva looks to Stone. "Permission to drag Sarah in this and see if she can't find the original?"

Despil says "I'll try looking for it myself."

Yosannah raises a brow, "Sarah? The one who hangs with Joshua?"

Despil says "The same."

At this, Yosannah regards Stone and shrugs her shoulders, "Well, let's see what you can do first, Despil, eh?"

Despil says "How about if we don't drag anyone else in this until I do some searching." He looks to Yo and says, "Jinx."

Yosannah smiles lightly, "Now there is something I haven't heard in a while." She mutters, "...jinx."

Riva nods to Despil and Yosannah with a grin.

Stone shrugs, "All the same to me." He then says, "But unfortunately I have a meeting starting soon." He asks Despil, "Want to keep this or no?" waving the watch in his direction.

Yosannah notes, "It will probably just return to Stone in a matter of hours anyway. I hear it does that."

Riva notes to Despil, "It didn't seem to have any ill effect when my engineer took it for a few hours. Just dissapeared and went back to stone. If you don't want to hold it, I will."

Despil takes the watch in a visible Logrus tendril. "If you want to part with it."

Stone watches the tendril and says, "Do whatever you think is best. You're the expert." he tells Despil.

Despil says "I'll take it."

Yosannah chuckles, "Now we're definitely screwed."

Riva laughs.

Despil laughs too.

Yosannah scratches at the scar on her neck, absent-mindedly, "In any event, I'm getting out of this shadow until I hear form you guys."

Despil waves. "See you, Yo."

Riva nods and smiles to Yosannah. "Take care of yourself, Yosannah."

Stone gives a glance at the scar, waving as well before heading off himself, "Be seeing you all."